Access All Areas February 2019 | Page 21

FEBRUARY | TRENDING Wild West, with casual labourers brought in and paid cash-in-hand. As a result, standards of safety and efficiency were poor. “Gallowglass has been appointed principal contractor within the CDM definition on a range of projects. This includes making sure that all of the contractors on the project are trained, competent and, where necessary, qualified. Working with our sister company, Gallowglass Health and Safety, we’re given the responsibility of managing and co- ordinating health and safety during the event’s construction phase.” The company also had to contend with GDPR regulations throughout 2018. Gallowglass head of IT Darren Thorley says: “We engaged a couple of consultants before examining our business processes and launching a series of measures to protect the personal data and comply with the requirement to respond to a data breach within 72 hours. “We’re routinely asked by clients for information about the individuals who will be working on their sites. Our Gallowglass app provides a means of managing name requests quickly, simply and securely.” The elephant in the room And, of course, we can’t talk about government policies without mentioning the B word. Brexit, and the regulatory/economic changes it could bring, is the biggest question mark facing the events industry as a whole, not just festivals. Every company needs to be prepared for it, but nobody is quite agreed on what the best outcome will be. Barley comments: “People I’ve spoken to regard Britain as a diminished force in the world, and much less interesting to them as a place to visit or do business. It’s hard to say whether this will result in fewer international writers agreeing to attend the Edinburgh International Book Festival in the future. “A number of our suppliers - such as caterers, security companies and contractors - are beginning to experience difficulty in hiring staff” — Nick Barley, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival “What is clear, however, is that a number of our suppliers - such as caterers, security companies and contractors - are beginning to experience difficulty in hiring staff. Several have told us that their Eastern European staff are leaving the country. This will result in higher costs and - most likely - we’ll be forced to charge higher ticket prices for events. Sadly, this may reduce our accessibility to audiences on low incomes.” Paul Grecian is equally cautious about the impact of Brexit. He says: “We’ve already seen a slowdown in the number of Europeans coming to the UK – from Eastern Europe, particularly. “The UK is less attractive for short term job-seekers. The exchange rate is poor, and we’ve noticed that more young Europeans are staying at home to complete higher education, so when they do come, they are looking for more senior roles. “Luckily, our workforce comes from all over the world and our European quota is probably not more than 20 per cent, but even so, crewing companies are competing hard for good people. London especially is becoming a lot tougher in an already tough market.” Finding a balance It would be overly simplistic to suggest that regulations only serve as a hindrance to creativity, or as a limiter on the ambitions of festival organisers around the UK. As companies like Gallowglass can attest, having regulated standards of practice can be a huge boon for some, offering the structure and guidance needed for creative events to flourish. But there are still some unresolved key issues surrounding the outdoor events industry which need to be addressed. Having a clear policy on immigration, and managing applications for artist visas in a more transparent way, will be essential as Brexit looms on the horizon in 2019. If the UK can manage that over the course of the coming year, hopefully we can avoid hitting a roadblock like the one the US government is currently stuck at. The events industry might not have $5bn to throw at our problems until they go away, but with communication and collaboration, we can come out the other side of Brexit stronger than ever. 21